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Marcos orders sweeping review of DPWH budget under 2026 NEP
President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has tasked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to conduct a sweeping review of the DPWH proposed budget under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
''I have instructed DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon to fully review the budget of the DPWH and make the necessary corrections for the NEP 2026. We owe the Filipino people transparency and efficiency," Marcos said in a press release.
“The people’s money should be used properly,” Marcos added.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said during Wednesday's briefing that Marcos wants to ensure that the funds are being used for infrastructure projects that will benefit the public.
''The President, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., has directed the Department of Budget and Management and the newly appointed Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways to conduct a sweeping review of the DPWH budget under the proposed 2026 National Expenditure Program,'' Castro said.
''The President emphasized that the review must lead to the necessary changes to guarantee transparency, accountability, and the proper use of the people's money, ensuring the resources are directed toward infrastructure projects that genuinely serve and benefit the Filipino people," she added.
Asked if the review could lead to the altering of the actual amount of the budget or amendments in the projects, Castro said corrections could be done through an errata. She added that the review would be immediately done.
Castro also said that the Marcos administration welcomes the call of Senate President Francis ''Chiz'' Escudero for Malacañang to come up with a “negative list” of infrastructure projects that cannot be funded under the proposed P6.793 trillion national budget for next year.
''Ang kanyang suhestiyon po ay welcome naman po at katulad noong sinabi nating announcement ng Pangulo, inuutusan po ang DBM at DPWH na busisiin po 'yung sinasabi nilang mukhang nagkaroon na naman ng mga insertions so kailangan po talaga itong maaral, ma-evaluate kung tama po ang nasasabi,'' she said.
(His suggestion is welcome, and like what we announced earlier, the DBM and the DPWH were already instructed to scrutinize the supposed insertions in the 2026 NEP. These need to be studied and evaluated.)
Flood control projects
On Monday, Marcos said that even the 2026 NEP contains questionable allocations that need to be properly addressed.
The President was explaining the workings of the commission he planned to create and investigate anomalous flood control projects when he mentioned that the executive branch had been finding irregularities.
The Presidential Communications Office previously said that the body would conduct a comprehensive review of projects, identify irregularities, and recommend accountability measures to ensure public trust in infrastructure spending.
''The more we look, the more we find. Kahit sa 2026 budget, marami pa ring siningit. So... it really needs to be cleaned out properly,'' Marcos said.
(Even in the 2026 budget, there are several insertions.)
Marcos, meanwhile, has also tasked newly designated DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon to conduct a "full organizational sweep" of the agency and ensure that public funds are used solely for infrastructure projects in the country.
The NEP, or the executive branch's proposed budget, is submitted to Congress to be scrutinized as both the Senate and the House of Representatives craft the General Appropriations Bill for the following year.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, meanwhile, has said that she would look into the supposed allocations in the NEP for projects that have already been completed.
"We will do our best to check and then moving forward, we will ensure na hindi na ulit ito mangyari (this will no longer happen)," she said.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address, Marcos expressed dismay with government personnel who steal public funds, including those earmarked for flood control projects.
Marcos said these officials would be dealt with under the law, noting that they should be ashamed of their actions.
In the briefing, Castro was asked if the President could be held liable over these faulty flood control projects. She responded by saying that it was only during the time of Marcos that an extensive probe on the matter was initiated.
"Wala pa pong Pangulo sa history na gumawa ng ganitong malawakang pag-iimbestiga sa mga maanomalyang flood control projects. Kahit na tamaan ang kaniyang administrasyon, matapang ang Pangulong Marcos Jr. na ito ay paiimbestigahan,'' she said.
(There's no President in our history that conducted an extensive investigation into these anomalous flood control projects. Even though his administration was hit, President Marcos Jr. bravely launched an investigation into this.)
Personalities
Earlier, Senate blue ribbon committee chairperson Rodante Marcoleta said that some personalities linked to anomalous flood control projects already flew out of the country amid their ongoing probe on the matter.
“Doon kasi sa mga pagtakas, hindi ko naman sinasabing tumakas na pero 'yung mga nagsasabi sa akin, patawarin ko na sila, ay nasa Amerika na talaga 'yung iba,” Marcoleta told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita in an interview.
(Regarding escape, I'm not saying they really escaped, but those who told me to just forgive them are actually in America already.)
Marcoleta noted that the Senate panel has no power to issue a hold departure order but only to request for a lookout order against the involved personalities.
“Ang Blue Ribbon naman kasi wala naman kaming power mag-issue ng hold departure order, korte lang,” he said.
(The Blue Ribbon does not have the power to issue a hold departure order, only the court does.)
Dizo, meanwhile, said thet he has already requested the Department of Justice to issue an immigration lookout order against several officials of the DPWH and contractors involved in the ongoing probe into anomalous flood control projects.
“I’ve just signed a request to Justice Secretary [Jesus Crispin Remulla], copy furnished to Bureau of Immigration, for a lookout order for these individuals listed,” Dizon said during the turnover ceremony of the Department of Transportation’s leadership to Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez.
In his letter, Dizon told Remulla that the timely issuance of an immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) against the individuals tagged in the ongoing probe on flood control projects controversy is “of utmost necessity to enable current investigations to proceed without delay and hold those liable accountable to the Filipino people.” —VAL, GMA Integrated News
